1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a push button assembly, and more particularly, a push button assembly having drawer slide guides.
2. Description of Related Art
Push buttons are used to control a wide variety of electronic equipment, including electronic equipment within automobiles. Examples of such uses are buttons for audio applications, driver's information applications, climate control, four-wheel drive activation/deactivation, door switches, and seat movement applications, to name a few.
Push buttons having a transparent or translucent display portion on the front surface are known in the art. These types of push buttons have a light guiding portion, called the button retainer, extending from the back of the push button and extending through a bezel structure. Often, multiple drawer slide guides protrude from the side of the button retainer in order to control friction and wobble.
Button retainers and bezel structures of the type herein are generally made of plastic and injection molded from steel molds. In order to minimize both the friction between the button retainer and the bezel structure and the wobble of the button retainer within the bezel structure, the button retainer and corresponding bezel structure must meet accurate tolerances. Often, as friction is decreased, wobble increases, and vice versa.
In addition to controlling friction and wobble, button design also involves maximizing the lightable area, minimizing the gap between the button retainer and the bezel structure, ensuring adequate button travel, and maximizing the durability of the button assembly. Attempting to satisfy all of these design parameters causes a button to become over-constrained.
A bezel structure is often tuned to fit a button retainer by a process that involves cutting the mold for the bezel structure to one side of a predetermined tolerance band, leaving gaps for the drawer slide guides of the button retainer. Next, the bezel structure is injection molded, and the button retainer is fit within the bezel structure. Measurements are made for adjusting the bezel mold to fit the button guides to accurate tolerances. Then, the bezel mold is re-cut or material is added to the bezel mold. Tuning the multiple drawer slide guides in three dimensions along multiple axes is difficult to control and difficult to package, especially now that bezel structures are designed with computers.
In view of the above, it is apparent that there exists a need for a button retainer and bezel that meet design demands from both a friction and a wobble standpoint. Furthermore, there exists a need for a button retainer and bezel structure in which tuning the button retainer to fit within the bezel structure is easier to control and more accurate.